Houdini’s Magic Ticket – What Film Would I Choose To Visit?

So I got this email from Dan over at Top 10 Films, asking if I’d like to be involved in a Blog-a-thon he was organizing. It was based on the concept of Houdini’s Magic Ticket, which was a central plot conceit in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Last Action Hero: the question is this – if you could go into any film you wanted, and/or be any character you wanted, which would it be?

So I got this email from Dan over at Top 10 Films, asking if I’d like to be involved in a Blog-a-thon he was organizing. It was based on the concept of Houdini’s Magic Ticket, which was a central plot conceit in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Last Action Hero: the question is this – if you could go into any film you wanted, and/or be any character you wanted, which would it be? Simple enough, you ask, but the problem is that there’s almost too much choice to make a single decision on. How many thousands of films, hundreds of thousands of characters, in all the films released worldwide in a given year, have the potential to be a film you’d enjoy spending time in? You could co-pilot the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo, fighting the TIE fighters in Star Wars. Or you could join Brad Pitt’s Basterds for a tilt at knocking off Hitler. Maybe you wouldn’t mind spending a bit of time traipsing through Austria with Maria and those annoyingly cheery von Trapp children. Or, if you’re a slightly less straightforward person, you might enjoy spending some time in a Tim Burton film, perhaps, or maybe – God forbid – inside a David Lynch flick. The possibilities are, indeed, endless.

So where would I go in film, if I could? The doorway to another world, an inherent ingredient in cinema, is now open to me, allowing me the possibility of endless permutations – part of me thinks James Bond’s world might be cool, while another part of me thinks a trip to the Federation in a reborn Star Trek might be cooler. If I was a sadist I might try traipsing across the desert of Arabia with Lawrence, or perhaps accompanying Brendan Fraser on his hunt for the Mummy. Oh, so many choices. So many to choose from, and I can’t make up my mind.

I know what my wife would choose. She’d want to be the female lead in The Notebook, although perhaps without the Alzheimer’s. It’s easy for her. Romantic empowerment aside, I’d find it tough to agree to go along with the schmaltz. No, I think I’d prefer something a little more, well, exciting. I know, I know, going into an action film, much like the young lad from Last Action Hero, is fraught with bullet-ridden danger, but c’mon, who wouldn’t like to help John McLane kick ass in Die Hard? So my choice, being an action-loving male that I am, would fall towards a film of the more blustery nature.

If I had a single film to pick from, of all the films I’ve seen, I think I’d choose to go into The Matrix: I’d be Neo. Cool dress sense, hot girlfriend, amazing powers and the ability to do anything I want, makes for a heady, almost dizzying expectation. Yes, I think The Matrix would be one cool film to be in. Sure, my “reality” would be all grunge-living and running from giant killer robots, but the upside is that I would have to sleep with Carrie-Ann Moss, so excuse me fellas while I stock up on condoms.

Part of the Magic Ticket Blog-a-thon we have on offer here today includes a series of 8 questions, designed to get the fantasy juices flowing, I guess, so I’ll do my best to come up with some adequately amusing responses. Ticket at the ready, here we go:

1 – What Character would you most like to be sat next to on a plane?

Nothing makes a flight more enjoyable (other than the booze served by the hostesses) than a good conversation with somebody, so I guess if I had my choice it’d be somebody with intelligence, wit and the ability to keep filling up the silence. Therefore, my choice would be Kermit The Frog.

2 – What character would you most want to enjoy a passionate romance with?

For most of my teenage years, I was in love with Jennifer Connelly in Labyrinth, so I could put my hand on my heart and say, without word of a lie, that I’d like to get all romantic with her character from that film.

3 – If you were a cop, who would you want as a partner?

Bruce Willis. Some might say Martin Riggs as played by Mel Gibson, but I don’t think I wanna stake my life on that man at all…

4 – What animated feature would you love to walk around in?

Tough one, real tough. The animation fan in me would love to check out the work in Pinocchio or Cinderella for realsies, but I think for sheer entertainment it’d have to be the Disney version of Tarzan. As far as CGI animation goes, I’d have to go for any of the Toy Story films, because hanging out with Woody, Buzz and the gang would be a real hoot.

5 – What adventure/mission based on Earth or Fantasy would you most like to go on?

It’d be easy to say Lord Of The Rings here, because that trilogy was so frickin’ awesome and massive that it almost transcends cinema itself. Trouble is, if everyone had access to a magic ticket, I think Middle Earth might be a bit crowded with rubberneckers and sightseers traipsing through the nice green grass of Hobbiton. My pick, and this is slightly out of left-field, would be to take on the journey of The Last Starfighter (you know, the one where Alex plays computer games as a recruitment test for killing alien villains in a far off galaxy, before actually deciding to stay and live in that far off galaxy) and become a universally recognized hero. T’was my favorite film as a kid, and I still think it’s an awesome story.

6 – What movie gadget would to you love to try out or steal?

The TARDIS. (Purists may argue, but it did feature in 2 cinema-screened feature films back in the 60’s, so it could be classed as a “movie gadget”…)

7 – What film’s plot would you alter, and how would you do it?

Now THIS is a tough one. It’s a completely subjective argument to say how I’d modify a film’s story, because as soon as you alter the story, it’s not that film. If I had to, I’d probably choose to alter a film like Snakes On A Plane, and have the snakes win, or something. There’s films that could be improved with some slight tinkering, a change of cast or something, but I’m not quite sure which film I’d alter to such a degree.

8 – Which film would you most want to be transported into, simply to be part of that world?

I’ve already said The Matrix, but if I had a second go (because this is fantasy, not reality, and in my fantasy I’d have more than one chance to go into a film) it would dead set be one of either Starship Troopers or Moulin Rouge. I love both those films, and I think I’d make both an awesome bug killer and pantomime pop-song singer harlot.

For more on this Blog-A-Thon, visit Dan’s magnificent page linking them all up, right here!!

 

Who wrote this?

25 thoughts on “Houdini’s Magic Ticket – What Film Would I Choose To Visit?

  1. The Cloak of Invisibility is a good one but when I'm thinking of Harry Potter I'm thinking of the magical wand or one that I don't think anyone has mentioned – the marauder's map. That would be a cool thing to have – it would spoil hide and seek of course!

    1. I wonder what real world application a marauders map might be: would make a great aide to finding criminals and people trying to hide from the law, I guess….. I wonder what else?

  2. Kermit! What a great idea. And the Tardis. I like it. But I'm still enamored of the Cloak of Invisibility. I guess I'd rather stay where I am…best of all, I love that you chose Neo. I've always adored the Matrix (Part 1, thank you) and its dual world. See? That way, you can be in not just one fantasy world, but two in the same film (even though in one you have to eat gruel and worry about tentacled beasts chasing you)…great choice!

    1. Thanks Stella! Yeah, the Cloak of Invisibilty is getting a good run out of this Blog-a-thon – a numer of people I've seen have mentioned it, so it's got a lot of traction. I never thought of The Matrix in that way with regards to this, but you're right – you can get two fantasy worlds for the price of one! I'm not a fan of gruel, though, so I don't know how I'd go living on the Neb. Thanks for popping in and saying g'day!

  3. Thanks for your help on this Rodney – it has officially gone global. I could do with checking where everyone is based but I know for a fact that participants have come from the USA, continental Europe, the UK, and New Zealand as well as Australia so that is very pleasing.

    1. No problems mate – I did very little except make the banner and write an article. You did all the hard work (ie getting everyone to do it!) so you should be stoked!

      Can't wait for the next one!

  4. You want Bruce Willis to watch your back? But he is just an actor 🙂 Starship Troopers would be a cool world to be transported into, as long as you are not one of the soldier who has to go fight the intergalactical war!

  5. Great picks, Rodney!

    Kermit is a great choice – he'd be lots of fun and have some very interesting stories.

    I found the plot question difficult to answer, too. I've still got my thinking cap on for an answer…

    Starship Troopers is one of my favourite guilty pleasures so I may join you there. I think I could be a good bug killer! Moulin Rouge is such a lovely film and I'm sure the Moulin Rouge would be a fantastic night out.

    1. @ Claire – I think as long as the Duke isn't there, the Moulin Rouge would be an amazing night out!

      @ Dan – You're right. They should never have killed him off. He would have kicked ass in Deathly Hallows!

  6. Kermit The Frog – brilliant, although you might strain your neck looking down at him all flight! 😉

    Now the romance one was a question I had real trouble with. I thought it would be an instant thing – I'd know staright away who I'd want a passionate romance with. But no one stood out – or perhaps so many did that I could decide. In the end I stumped for Fatal Attraction's Alex Forrest…that was an interesting adventure! 😉

    …but I have to say great choice with Jennifer Connelly. I had that same crush on her when I was younger – heck, she's still gorgeous.

    Good choice for the fantasy adventure. There are a lot of 1980s sci-fi adventures worth checking out. If I wasn't scared of heights I'd love to try the flying bikes from E.T.

    1. Yeah, ET never quite did it for me as a kid like it did for so many others. Still, I'd imagine a few people might get caught up on adventure with the Goonies too….

      And man, if you're going to go for a stone cold killer babe for a romance, why not Catherine Tremell (as played by Sharon Stone) from Basic Instinct? She's hotter than Glenn Close ever was (no offense to Glenn Close, but it's true), and you know she's a psycho going in.

  7. I would love to be in Moulin Rouge also especially during El Tango de Roxanne. It's one of my favorite dance sequences of all time.

  8. I love that you put Jennifer Connelly from the 'Labyrinth'. Even as a teenager she was smoking hot in that movie. Being a recent convert into the world of Dr. Who, I'd love to be in the Tardis as well. Love some of choices. I decided to just focus on one destination for my pick. Hope you stop by and check it out.

Comments are closed.